All Aboard the BlackBerry 10 Port-A-Thon

Update: Wow! We are thrilled with your excitement about this weekend’s event. We have had huge interest from the community in participating in the All Aboard BlackBerry Port-A-Thon! As a result, we have decided to open the Port-A-Thon to new BlackBerry WebWorks SDK, Adobe AIR, Native SDK and Cascades SDK applications for BlackBerry 10, in addition to those being ported from BlackBerry OS and PlayBook.

Android Community! We are happy to have you on board and your interest has been so overwhelming that we are proud to announce an exclusive Android Port-A-Thon is coming on January 11th,, 2013. If you do not currently have your Android app on the BlackBerry PlayBook, the Port-A-Thon in January is the one for you. Watch for details to be posted on the Inside BlackBerry Developers Blog.

If you read the latest guest post from Lou, you’ll know that the response to the BlackBerry Got Game Port-a-thon we held in mid-November was amazing – so we’ve decided to do it again. This time it’s called the All Aboard BlackBerry Port-A-Thon, and we are focusing on BlackBerry 10 smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet apps.

As with our first Port-A-Thon, the more apps you port and build, the greater your rewards. For those of you who have been asking about how you can celebrate the launch of BlackBerry 10 with us, well, let’s just say you are going to be very interested in the reward for getting more than 10 apps approved.

Different name, similar format

The All Aboard BlackBerry Port-A-Thon will start on December 14th, 2012 and will run for 36 hours. It is a virtual event, so you can log in from home or work, or even get some friends together for a porting party. Participate from wherever works, and our experts will be there virtually for the entire 36 hours to help you port or build BlackBerry apps for BlackBerry 10.

Once again, if you have questions or need help during the Port-A-Thon, you simply submit them and a BlackBerry dev expert will help you. Our BlackBerry dev gurus will also give presentations and share insider tips and tricks at various points over the 36 hours.

More great rewards are up for grabs

Develop a new application or port an existing app from any other OS besides BlackBerry 10 to the BlackBerry 10 OS using BlackBerry Webworks SDK or BlackBerry Native SDK, or Cascades for BlackBerry 10. The more you port and build, the greater your rewards*:

Get one or more apps approved – $100 per eligible app – a maximum of 20 paid applications

Get between five and ten apps approved – THE FIRST TWO HUNDRED (200) QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS ONLY receive one (1) Dev Alpha Device in addition to other rewards

And finally (drum roll, please…)

Get more than 10 BlackBerry apps approved – $100 per app + one (1) BlackBerry Dev Alpha + FOR THE FIRST TEN (10) QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS ONLY one (1) paid trip to BlackBerry Jam Europe to celebrate the launch of BlackBerry 10 with us!

Don’t forget: Getting prepared ahead of time is in your best interest

Since more apps ported and built means more rewards*, it makes sense to get a few things ready before you join the event. Here’s what you need:

Request signature keys. Make sure that you select for BlackBerry PlayBook OS and BlackBerry 10 and higher. Downloading in advance is strongly recommended as the time involved to do so could prevent you from earning some rewards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the All Aboard Port-A-Thon?

A. The intent of the All Aboard BlackBerry 10 Port-A-Thon is to encourage existing BlackBerry developers to port their existing BlackBerry PlayBook applications to BlackBerry 10 and submit their new apps. However due to overwhelming requests, we will now accept new apps from new BlackBerry World vendors.

Q: Is my app eligible for the All Aboard BlackBerry 10 Port-A-Thon?

A: If your BlackBerry WebWorks, Adobe AIR, Native SDK or Cascades NDK app has not already been successfully ported to BlackBerry 10 OS then that app is eligible for this Port-A-Thon.

Q. I have an application that is currently for sale on BlackBerry PlayBook. Am I eligible for this Port-A-Thon?

A. Yes. If your app has not already been successfully ported to BlackBerry 10 OS then that app is eligible for this Port-A-Thon. Some apps that targeted the BlackBerry PlayBook did not require any changes to work for BlackBerry 10. Vendors with apps eligible for auto porting were contacted in November and given the option to opt out of having those apps ported. If you received that notification and did not opt out, those apps are not eligible for this offer.

Q. Are Android Runtime apps eligible for rewards in this Port-A-Thon?

A. No, Android apps are not eligible for the rewards in this Port-A-Thon unless they are already available on the BlackBerry PlayBook. However, we are proud to announce an exclusive Android Port-A-Thon is coming on January 11th, 2013. Watch for details will to be posted on the Inside BlackBerry Developers Blog.

Get on board

Get your apps into the BlackBerry World storefront before BlackBerry 10 launches. Register for the All Aboard BlackBerry Port-a-thon today!

*Limited to the first twenty (20) approved Apps per participant. There is a limit of one (1) BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device per BlackBerry World vendor. To qualify for a Reward, you must register on the website at http://developer.blackberry.com/offers/allaboardportathon and submit your App into the BlackBerry World Vendor Portal between 12:00:01 pm on December 14, 2012 and 11:59:59pm ET on December 15, 2012. Any Apps submitted outside this time frame are not eligible for this Reward program. Only those Apps that have been approved through BlackBerry World and RIM will be considered towards a Reward. See the Official Terms and Conditions for complete details.

About Jesse Ariss

BBM Marketing. I love BlackBerry 10, start-ups, the Internet of Things and of course, STICKERS! Reach out to me if you have questions about any of my blog posts. @jesseariss

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